Biodiversity and natural balance

An absolute respect for the natural cycle: the philosophy of grape growing at Petrolo

Committed to Petrolo’s founding principles, some years ago we started a process of agricultural conversion aiming to actively sustain the quality of our territory. After organically farming our olive groves for over 20 years, in the last 4-5 years also our vineyards have been cultivated in a natural way and left naturally grassed. We have been re-creating the conditions for a natural and spontaneous balance beneficial to plants and their products. Grass management has an important role in regulating the presence of substances and moisture in the soil. The grass cut and left on the ground becomes a true natural fertilizer, produces micro and macroelements necessary to plants and to the soil itself.

In wet periods, grass absorbs water and thus regulates the moisture in the ground ensuring the right balance between dry and wet matter. The coexistence of herbaceous and woody plants creates a self maintained natural balance; the vineyards keep healthy and consistent, same as the olive trees. This balance also affects the organoleptic characteristics of the olive oil and the wine with anincreased number of polyphenols and higher intensity of flavours.

Currently all of the estate's vineyards are cultivated in such a way. This system doesn’t limit itself to maintain a natural balance between the plants but wants to close the whole grape growing cycle, indeed the skins are used as natural fertilizer, scattered between the rows and left to be absorbed in the soil. Because of these expedients and thanks to a wholesome territory at Petrolo we haven’t been using any organic manure for over 3 years nor inorganic fertilizers for almost 10 years and no pesticides of chemical origin for 4 years.